A few years ago I created a Comic Book Club for the students. They range in age from grade 3 – 5 with a large variety of skills. Prior to the club I taught them how to draw three-dimensional objects and characters but this year they wanted something different.

The premise of the club was to teach the students the basics of comic book drawing. Yet due to the amount of work involved in drawing a comic book, I tried to keep the characters a bit simpler than I am use to and I standardized the characters for them. They wanted a super hero comic therefore I drew a lot of different characters they could choose from. They liked that idea but they also had to choose up to 2 powers, a unique name and if they were either a hero or villain for their character.

In page five we continue to see the different members of the League of Justice, their name and abilities. I found that this way each student, who wanted to be a hero, can see their character and how to draw it. This also gives the other students practice on how to draw these characters. I hope you enjoy page 5 of “The Rise of Lord Ominous” as much as the students did.

‘If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ Marc Anthony

This week I was finishing off my course and during that the final assignment I did something that made me begin my summer vacation.

Many of you know that I love to draw, paint or anything to do with art. For my final assignment I had to create a “sketchnote” for the assignment. If you don’t know, a “sketchnote” are rich visual notes that combine hand drawn notes, drawings, and typography. During my drawing of the notes I felt relaxed and content that I was doing what I am meant to do. It has been a very long time since I was able to just draw and create so I kept drawing and it was wonderful.

So all I want to pass on is “Do what you Love.” Because when you do, it is like you’re in heaven.

Do what you Love Cartoon.

Do what you Love Cartoon.

‘If you do what you love, it is the best way to relax.’ Christian Louboutin

It seems fitting that my 500th post would about art and an activity I did with the students. People say I inspire them with my art, stories, life experiences and joy of life. In fact they are the ones that inspire me to do those things. Therefore, with this in mind I started this blog with my one guiding principle, to post …

My innermost thoughts I wish to share. These things Inspire me, maybe they will inspire you.

A few years ago I created a Comic Book Club for the students. They range in age from grade 3 – 5 with a large variety of skills. Prior to the club I taught them how to draw three-dimensional objects and characters but this year they wanted something different.

The premise of the club was to teach the students the basics of comic book drawing. Yet due to the amount of work involved in drawing a comic book, I tried to keep the characters a bit simpler than I am use to and I standardized the characters for them. They wanted a super hero comic therefore I drew a lot of different characters they could choose from. They liked that idea but they also had to choose up to 2 powers, a unique name and if they were either a hero or villain for their character.

Page four is where we begin to see the different members of the League of Justice, each character’s name and abilities. This way each student, who wanted to be a hero, can see their character and how to draw it but it. This also gives the other students practice on how to draw these characters. I hope you enjoy page 4 of “The Rise of Lord Ominous” as much as the students did.

This past week during my additional qualification (AQ) course, I was inspired to write about an experience that I have talked about but never written down. As many of you may know, I am an occasional / supply teacher and have been for some time. During a discussion topic I told them about an interesting experience I had a couple of years ago that helped me with exorcising some old bad memories and feelings. Some told me I should write and post it. So I am doing it. Hopefully my experience may inspire others into action or help them in some way.

It all happened when I went into a school for a supply job, yet this was no ordinary school. This was the first school I went to when I was a student. In fact my supply job was in the very classroom where I attended kindergarten. To say that I had a feeling of awe once I entered the class would be an understatement. People asked me how it felt; the first thing I noticed was that everything was smaller. Ha. Ha, but it was true. I remembered the cubby area where I hung my jacket, the tables where I drew, painted or counted to 100. It all felt surreal because of the other feelings I had about this school. You see I was bullied at this school and picked on for about four years after kindergarten.

It started at the end of grade 1 and did not stop until I finally stood up to the bullies, in a matter of speaking. I was bullied not by one person but by a group of boys. It was not just Caucasian boys but a couple of African-Canadian boys too. The only thing I could think of why they did this was because I was different from them. I was European, 1st generation Maltese and these boys were very Canadian, maybe 3rd or 4th generation. I eat different food then them, I played different games and I spoke a different language besides English.

Everyday it got worse. I even got into fights. I would never start a fight but I always finished it. My parents told me to never start the fight but make sure you finished it. Yet at the time I was always being punished for the offence and my mother had to be called into the school on several occasions. I never saw the other boys or their parents and my mother told me that they called her because I threw the second and final punch and the other boys were always in worse condition than me.

Yet one day a boy pushed my head into the metal drinking fountain and I broke my front permanent tooth. I had blood in my mouth and in the fountain and the other boy just laughed. I ran to the teacher to tell her what happened and she said “So what. You probably deserved it.” I got so angry because the boy was laughing and I knew he would not get into trouble so I went up to him and punched him in the face several times until his nose was bleeding. Of course I got in trouble and went to the principal’s office to wait for my mother. I told him about what happened and still I got in trouble.

Well my mother came and heard the stories and was livid. But there was nothing she could do. The neighbour that looked after me would only take me to that school and I was only 7 and I couldn’t go to another school because it was too far away. So I had to put up with it for a couple more years. So the bullying continued and the fights continued. I was even placed in a special class because my reading level was a full grade below.

When I reached 10 years my mom had enough and I was able to walk to the catholic school down the street by myself for grade 5. Once at the new school I made new friends and when my mom told them about the special classes they tested me and told her that there was no problem with my reading that I was about grade level and by grade 8, I would be a grade above.

However that first year at catholic school was hard, not because of the new school but because of the bullies from the old one. They lived in my neighbourhood and they continued to bully me until I finally stood up to them.

Mad Max Bike

My dad was working at a steel mill at the time and sometimes he would bring metal bits home. I used some to Mad Max my bike with spikes and even a spear. Today I would be arrested but back then I feared for my life and I wanted some protection. One day in June, after swimming lessons I was riding home when the same five boys came after me on their bikes. They pushed, punched and threatened me with violence and I feared for my life. So I pulled out the spear and stuck it in their rear tire spooks and they all went flying. I was not unhurt either; I had fallen too and had scrapes on my elbows, knees, right thigh and my forehead. I got up and rode as fast as I could home. My folks saw me and were sacred and angry beyond belief. The worst part was that the five boys came to my house after and there were ten of them now and asked, “Can Paul come out and play?” My parents said if they came near me or the house again, they would call the police and told them to get lost before they do it right now. They left but the next day I went to Malta for the summer and stayed with my grandparents. When I got back in September, those bullies never came after me again. Now you know why I truly hated that school.

I turned the page of that chapter in my life and years later I did see those boys all grown up. I found out from mutual friends that their lives were vastly different from mine. Many were in unhappy work and home situations, one didn’t finish high school and none went into higher education. I found some comfort knowing that I worked hard and went to university and I am happy with my chosen field and my life. Yet that school still was a symbol of pain and hatred. It took many years for me to come to terms about that place but it all came to an end when I supplied there. I was able to let go of the bad memories and then begin to forge new positive ones. The students in the school were very nice and the same for the staff. In fact I went back several times as jobs came available.

When I reflect back, it took some time to heal the wounds of the past but not until I let go of what happened and be grateful for what I had accomplished, did those scares begin to disappear. Those experiences will always be with me, however they do not define me. I choose to look to the positive experiences once I left that school. I went to another school with great friends and experiences that continued into high school, college, university and my professional life. I discovered music and art, which became a large part of my life to this day. I broadened my views and experiences to take on different challenges, to a point where I have been called a Jack-of-all-trades. All of these and much more came about after I stood up for myself and basically told those bullies NO MORE! And when I did I was saying good-bye to the past. For when I let go of what I was and what was done to me, I become the positive and happy person I am today.

A few years ago I created a Comic Book Club for the students. They range in age from grade 3 – 5 with a large variety of skills. Prior to the club I taught them how to draw three-dimensional objects and characters but this year they wanted something different.

The premise of the club was to teach the students the basics of comic book drawing. Yet due to the amount of work involved in drawing a comic book, I tried to keep the characters a bit simpler than I am use to and I standardized the characters for them. They wanted a super hero comic therefore I drew a lot of different characters they could choose from. They liked that idea but they also had to choose up to 2 powers, a unique name and if they were either a hero or villain for their character.

Page three is where we see the rest of the members of the Legion of Doom and each character’s name and abilities. This way each student, who wanted to be a villain, can see their character and how to draw it. I hope you enjoy page 2 of “The Rise of Lord Ominous” as much as the students did.

This past week has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride of emotions for me. At the beginning of the week I was with someone who made me feel down and upset yet by the end I was with some people who lifted me up and inspired me.

Firstly I was with someone whom I have known for years and they have made no secret that they do not like teachers. They on a number of occasions have belittled teaching and teachers in general. Saying things along the lines that teachers don’t deserve the two months off or that they are spoiled and they are teaching the wrong way. If they were Premier they mentioned that they would attack the teachers by taking away pay, benefits and force them into doing things their way, things that was acceptable back 70 – 100 years ago.

At times I have fired back. Once they said they could teach a class and I responded saying, “I would love to put you in a Kindergarten class and see how far you get. I guarantee you wouldn’t last an hour let alone a year.” Yet for the most part I usually let them say what they want and it generally just rolls off me, but for some reason this time I could not. Not because I questioned teaching but the fact they will never change their minds no matter what I say or when ever I prove my point. I am seriously considering ending the relationship of many years, which put me in a gloomy mood.

With this cloud over my head I went about my business, which happened that I am attending an additional qualification course (AQ) for Teacher-Librarian (TL). A TL is more than just a librarian; they are a resource teacher who can assist the classroom teacher in how they implement the curriculum. I have supplied as a TL on a number of occasions and found it a rewarding experience.

Upon starting the course I met other teachers with the same passion for teaching and a desire to help others. This alone began to lift my spirits, however we were given the tremendous opportunity to go to an educator’s conference on the second day. This conference was called MakerEdTO. It is a conference of educators that come together to try to bring new ideas to the students by learning through making things. Yes they do the lessons and research before they build things but they encourage the students to get their hands dirty, take chances and make mistakes all the while they are learning.

A working mechanical arm I made from cardboard.

The conference was about teachers getting their hands dirty and playing so they can understand and bring back to the classroom what they have learned. I for one attended a workshop where I was able to learn to use a program called Scratch where the students can learn code. Another workshop was about building things out of cardboard. I was able to create a working mechanical arm that actually picked up an empty water battle.

The conference was good but the most important and inspiring thing was that there were over 200 teachers there to learn and get inspired for their students. At the beginning of their summer break these people went somewhere to learn to essentially help their students learn.

This positive atmosphere is what I need to remember and keep in my life. Not those people who have nothing but negativity. Yet I have to remember one good thing about all those negative people out there. You know, the ones who grumble and insult others because they are jealous or only happy when they are putting down others or mad at the world for something or another. I’ll look at them and remember this wisdom quote …

‘I am grateful for all those difficult people in my life, they have shown me exactly who I do not want to be.’

A few years ago I created a Comic Book Club for the students. They range in age from grade 3 – 5 with a large variety of skills. Prior to the club I taught them how to draw three-dimensional objects and characters but this year they wanted something different.

The premise of the club was to teach the students the basics of comic book drawing. Yet due to the amount of work involved in drawing a comic book, I tried to keep the characters a bit simpler than I am use to and I standardized the characters for them. They wanted a super hero comic therefore I drew a lot of different characters they could choose from. They liked that idea but they also had to choose up to 2 powers, a unique name and if they were either a hero or villain for their character.

Page two is where we see the Legion of Doom’s plan is revealed. It was a hook for the students and this page was their first glimpse at a few of the characters they would be drawing. I also helped them by providing pages with empty cells for them to draw in the story. I hope you enjoy page 2 of “The Rise of Lord Ominous” as much as the students did.

About Me

Born and raised in Toronto Canada, I am a certified Elementary teacher working at a school board with children from kindergarten to grade 5. The one thing you should know about me is that I love all art forms but especially drawing, writing and music.

I discovered that when I inspire others, they in turn inspire me. This wonderful realization is the inspiration in creating this blog. My creativity comes from the people around me. Hopefully, I can inspire others as they have inspired me.
I try and post everyTuesday and Friday along the following themes:

Tuesday – I will try to post some of my art or that of the children’s
Friday “Friday Two Cents” – I will try to post my opinion, or my two cents, on something that happened in the news or to me during the week.

But watch out during the other days of the week just in case. If I find something Inspiring, Interesting or Creative, I will do my best to share it